The Effect of Marriage on Weight Gain and Propensity to Become Obese in the African American Community

Does marriage have a causal impact on weight and the likelihood of becoming obese? Marriage is thought to have a protective influence on both men’s and women’s health, although via different mechanisms. Evidence in regard to marriage affecting body mass index (BMI) and the propensity to become obese...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of family issues 2010-09, Vol.31 (9), p.1166-1182
Main Author: Fitzgibbons Shafer, Emily
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
African American Community
African Americans
Body Composition
Body mass index
Body Weight
Correlation
Families & family life
Females
Gender Differences
Impact analysis
Longitudinal Studies
Marriage
National Longitudinal Survey of Youth
Obesity
Race
Racial Differences
Racism
Scientific Concepts
Sex
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Summary:Does marriage have a causal impact on weight and the likelihood of becoming obese? Marriage is thought to have a protective influence on both men’s and women’s health, although via different mechanisms. Evidence in regard to marriage affecting body mass index (BMI) and the propensity to become obese, however, is mixed and often based on limited data. Even less clear is whether the effect varies by race and gender. In this article, the author uses the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (1979), which has followed individuals for more than 20 years, and uses methods aimed at netting out selection bias to show that marriage is associated with a modest increase in BMI for all race and gender groups. Additionally, marriage is associated with an increase in the likelihood for becoming obese for African American women.
ISSN:0192-513X
1552-5481
DOI:10.1177/0192513X10366006